so mitch mcconnell is the missing piece of the puzzle here. he's the person the president has had the least success in dealing with. they have no personal relationship whatwhatsoever, th president and john boehner played golf once or twice. boehner as a person is of a more amenable guy. the white house wants a deal, and the reason they want a deal is because of the economy. if we get tangled up here in d.c. and go over the cliff or down the gradual slope, it's not -- it's not going to be good for the economy. there are people waiting to invest. there's a world watching. everybody agrees that if a deal can be cut, economies around the world, not just in america, are going to benefit. >> yeah. i think the consequences aren't immediate if we get to january 1st, but i'll get into that later. i have a monologue -- >> psychologically they're immediate. >> let me ask you about within the democratic party, then. if the white house's priority is to get a deal, and the bottom line for house republicans is no rate hikes, if the white house were pursue th